Always Here
by Ever-Wandering
Summary: A story of the power of true friendship, it is eternal.


Authors Note: This is my first post on this site! It is a short story and I will warn you, it is pretty angst-y.

Enjoy! Reviews and criticism are more than welcome (no flames- please.)

* * *

Never in all the eighteen years of her life would she have imagined she would be here. Never would she have imagined herself to be standing before her two best friends, both laying very peacefully in identical black coffins.

Numbness did not even describe how she felt, one moment she was standing before them, and then next, she was on her knees trembling like a small lost child. Tears wanted to fall so badly from blank, almost lifeless eyes, but nothing came. Her pride, however dumb it may be, would not allow her friends to see her cry like a baby in front of so many people.

It was not supposed to be like this. She was not supposed to be burying her friends. No, it was not supposed to be like this, not now, not ever.

Yet life had its own plans for her it seemed.

Rain descended from the darkening sky, the crowd slowly began to descend back to reality, hands gripped her sunken shoulders, several patted, and some whispered lost consoling words to her to try to put her heart at ease. Nothing reached her.

Even as the rain began to fall harder, drenching her to her skin, matting her long red hair to her pale face, she refused to move. Tears fell along side with the falling rain and were well hidden much to her relief, for now she could grieve and no one would discover her frailty.

She had been the consoler, the mother of the trio, always reprimanding them for their childish ways, never relentless in her worry for them when they acted foolishly. They were so goofy, so care free together, she envied them greatly. Perhaps, she now envied them even more.

Her eyes closed as the memory swept through her once more. Her heart would not allow her to forget.

She would be tormented for eternity.

_I could have stopped them._

…

"You are such a damn kill joy!" The more vibrant and goofy of her two friends proclaimed exasperatedly, her blue eyes accusatory, and her mouth in a stern frown.

She had heard this many times. More than she was willing to count in her head.

"Seriously, you need to get out more! What are you going to do when we aren't around?" Her other friend retorted, taking on the same accusatory glare her other friend was directing at her.

She only shrugged lightly, her own eyes, a dark green, expressionless,

"Be a loner I guess."

Her friends scowled at this remark. Their eyes, both ironically blue, grew a shade darker.

"Please come with us, _please_! It will be fun! We will hang out just like we used to! The infamous trio together again!" Of course they would try to lay the guilt on, but she already had a response to this. She knew just about every card they would wield; she only had to gain the upper hand.

"Look, I would love to hang out with you both, but clubbing is not my idea of fun. You would have much more fun without me and you know it." She cocked a brow, not missing the way their eyes suddenly would not look at her, as if hiding something from her. Guilt.

She was not lying and she knew it.

She smiled, it did not reach her eyes, "Go on, have fun, take plenty of pictures. Please, _please_ be careful. You know I care about you both." The rolled their eyes.

"You worry too much. We are old enough now to know what is dangerous and what will hurt us." They nodded in unison. _Are you sure about that?_

"I am just saying to be safe." She reasoned, her eyes darkening with shadow and worry. Her friends were so reckless at times…

Her friend of twelve years, long blonde hair and very blue eyes gave her a reproving glare,

"Yes _mother _dear."

Her other friend, a year younger than them both, with short brown hair and lighter blue eyes cocked a brow at her.

"Honestly, you act like we are kids. We will be fine. We will even text you and let you know when we get home. How does that sound?"

She could tell that her worry was not going to be appreciated, it never was. She sighed heavily, shaking her head. "Just let me know, okay? Put my old heart at ease." She teased, trying to lighten the mood.

It worked; they chuckled softly, turning from her to get into a small PT Cruiser, waving from the windows while cranking up country music to an almost deafening level.

She could only smile in response, laughing very softly.

"Some things just never change."

Until she got a phone call later than evening…

…

Of all the times she held a conversation with her friend's parents on the phone, it was nothing like the one she was currently having. As the news of the wreck flitted through the phone, she dropped it. Numbness spread like a twisted poison through her and she fell to the ground.

"Please, please go to the hospital. They want to see you. They want to see only you." She heard the voice from the phone whisper, grief stricken.

She did not need to hear anything else.

…

Tears fell from her eyes as the nurse pulled back the curtain, revealing two hospital beds, side by side.

"You _idiots_." She whispered, going up between them, taking one of their hands in each of hers.

There were too many machines, so much noise; she could barely hear her blonde friend whisper.

"You…were right." She coughed, a line of blood spilling from one side of her lip.

She only grasped the hand tighter. "No, you will pull through this. You both will." She looked over at her other friend, who had a very weak smile on her face.

"I am so glad you are here." She whispered, squeezing her hand tighter.

When the nurse came back to check on them, her heart broke at the sorrowful scene before here. The red head girl was holding each of their hands, whispering soft, gentle warm words to them. In turn, both of the patients were fast asleep, easing off into a very peaceful unconsciousness.

She did not have the heart to tell the girl.

Because in all reality, she knew the girl must already know.

Soft sobbing reached the nurses ears and she very silently left the room, not wanting to disturb the girl's last moments with her two best friends.

…

Yet even in death, they still remained to look just as carefree, peaceful and so tranquil. Not even death could take that from them. A very weak smile grew across her face.

"You are drenched." She felt something warm be placed across her shoulders and huddled into it, murmuring a soft thank you in reply.

She knew his grief was just as hard as her own. He knelt down next to her and sighed very sadly.

"This is very unlike you, you know." He said very softly, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Even if I was very different from them," she said very quietly, trying to manage all of her will power to keep her emotions in check, "they were like sisters to me. I love them." Tears blurred her vision and she looked away.

He rose just as silently as he came, gripping her shoulder tightly,

"As do I."

Alone once more, she chuckled very softly, earlier she would have been concerned over her insanity for laughing about nothing. Yet now, everything was different.

She ran a hand along each of their coffins.

"Of course you both had to leave me behind. I was too stupid to follow." She choked on her words, sobs wrenching from her heart as her hands balled into fists.

She could just imagine their faces, disapproving, identically so, and concerned. She imagined her blonde friend wanting to thump her upside the head and her brunette threatening to kick her off a bridge.

"_Lighten up, this is not the end." _Yeah, she would definitely say that. Scolding her for letting herself crumble to grief and sorrow.

"_You know we will always be with you." _Yes, she would say that. Because deep in the voids of her broken heart she knew it was true.

"And I will never let you leave my side." She whispered, casting a very fond, loving smile at each of their coffins.

"Not even death can truly tear us apart." She stood, the rain slowly beginning to stop letting the beauty of the sun twinkle across the graveyard. She ran a hand down their coffins, one last time, whispering.

"I love you, you childish clowns, more than you may both realize. Do not think that just because you have gone on that you have heard or seen the last of me. I certainly hope you both like tulips, because you will be getting a fresh batch weekly. This is my sincere promise to you both," she sighed, knowing somewhere, in a large mansion in heaven they were both laughing, "I will learn to live a little and I will never, ever forget you. I will not walk alone because I know you are at my side, urging me forward. God blessed me with the greatest friends and I will never be able to thank Him enough for it. Good bye my friends, rest in peace. I will see you again."

She turned, tears still running down her face as she left their side, her head now raised, a genuine smile on her face and life returned to her once dead eyes.

Her friends would never let her down.

* * *

And that ends it! I was inspired to write this after, oddly enough, I watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

True friendship lasts forever :)


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